All For One
by Friendly Floyd
Summary: A band of Yoshis set off on a quest to rescue one of their own. Over time, it is revealed what it means for each of them to be part of the team.
1. Sky's invention, Night's announcement

Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Yoshi or any other character of Nintendo, these particular Yoshis are not wholly mine either. This group of Yoshis I found from a web quiz on Quizilla: "Which Yoshi Are You?" by BluPhnx12. Then again, perhaps some minor character changes have been made by my writing this particular story.

Criticism welcome. MST's encouraged.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere out in the ocean, far away from other lands, there is an island—an island of paradise. This is known as Yoshi's Island. The inhabitants of this land, the Yoshis, live a fairly peaceful life, cultivating the land and enjoying the fruits provided by the earth.<em>

_There are some, however, that are more ambitious. These are the individuals who dare to confront danger head-on and lead adventurous lives. This is the story of one such group of Yoshis, who usually kept to themselves atop a small hill, some distance away from the villages. Every so often, a quest would present itself to them in one form or another, and they rarely hesitated to rise to the challenge. Little did they know, today's adventure would change everything forever…_

**ALL FOR ONE**

A green Yoshi took a deep breath as he relaxed on the patch of ground, looking up at the sky that overlooked Yoshi's Island. It was a beautiful day, as it usually was on the island.

"Hey there, Melon!" said a yellow Yoshi, stepping towards him.

Melon looked over. "Hey, Sunny," he replied. Sunny was the optimist in the group, so her name fit her color and personality.

"What are you doin'?" Sunny asked.

Melon looked back up at the sky. "Just relaxing."

But Sunny looked at Melon knowingly. "Uh-oh—I know that look," she said. "What are you thinking?"

Melon looked back at Sunny, smiling. "If you know the look, you should know what I'm thinking."

Sunny then replied, "We're going on an adventure, aren't we? What do you have planned?"

"I don't have anything planned," Melon answered.

Now Sunny was confused. "Then… what?" she questioned.

Melon once again turned back to the sky. "I don't know… I just have this feeling. One way or another, we're in for some excitement."

"Oh, that's right," said Sunny suddenly. "Sky wanted to see you about something."

Melon, intrigued, sat up. "Yeah? What?"

"Something about a new invention… You'd better come see for yourself."

"Alright, then," said Melon, and the two set off.

* * *

><p>Sky, the light blue Yoshi, was at work, putting the finishing touches on his invention, when he heard Melon come in with, "What's up, Sky?"<p>

Sky turned expectantly to Melon and Sunny. "Oh, hey, Melon!" He got up and greeted his best friend. "Glad you could make it!"

"Hey, I never want to miss an opportunity to see what you've come up with lately," Melon answered.

"Well, you definitely won't be disappointed this time," said Sky excitedly. "Wait 'till you see what I've cooked up now!"

Just then, a voice countered, "Well, I certainly hope it isn't as half-baked as your last invention."

The three turned to see a red Yoshi enter the clearing. This was Orchid, considered by many to be the "brains" of the group, not only because of her high intelligence, but also because of her reading habit. She was usually shy and cautious, yet she was never afraid to criticize Sky's inventions, whether constructively or not.

"Very funny, Orchid," retorted Sky, obviously insulted.

Melon just chuckled. "C'mon, Orchid, give the kid a break."

"Don't worry," said Orchid, smiling. "I'm just as intrigued as you are, anyway. Go ahead, Sky, let's see it."

"Right," Sky exclaimed, recovering. "Fellow Yoshis, feast your eyes on _this!_"

Sky gestured toward what seemed to be a platform with a hand-crank and handles protruding from it, and blades of some sort on the bottom. The handles were in front, and the crank to the side somewhat.

Melon nodded, then asked, "…What is it?"

Sky announced, "I call it…the personal hover-copter!"

"Hover-copter, is it?" said Orchid, a touch of worry in her voice.

Undeterred, Sky went on, "It's quite simple, yet I'm sure it's very revolutionary. Here, allow me to demonstrate." He stepped onto the platform and put one hand on a handle, and the other on the crank. "It works not unlike the helicopters we've heard of in outside lands. All one needs to do is turn this crank here," and here he did so, "and the blades at the bottom start spinning."

Indeed, the blades began to rotate, slowly at first, then gaining speed. The others could feel the air rushing from the copter.

Continuing to crank harder and harder, Sky muttered, "Once you get…a sufficient speed going…"

And then, almost as if by magic, the platform started to rise into the air. The other Yoshis, even Orchid, responded with awe.

Sky was obviously pleased at the result, and the reaction. He added, "You can then move about simply by tilting in the direction you wish to go." After hovering for some seconds, he slowed the crank, and he and the platform descended. Sky stepped off, and finished with, "And it even folds up, for easy storage!" And with that, he folded his hover-copter into a compact size.

The other Yoshis burst into applause. "Very nice, Sky!" exclaimed Melon.

"Indeed," Orchid seconded, very impressed. "I believe you've finally invented something functional and practical."

Sky responded, "Hey, I try."

Suddenly a call rang out. "GUYS! GUYS! EVERYONE, COME QUICK!"

Orchid turned. "That's Night!" she exclaimed. She and everyone else ran toward Night's insistent yelling.

When they got there, they found the blue Yoshi in his usual spot: atop a high tree, overlooking the land below the hill.

"Night! What is it?" asked Grape, a purple Yoshi, running forward.

"What do you see, Night?" asked Melon, also coming forward.

Night tried to catch his breath for a while, then finally panted, "It's—it's Storm!"

Everyone gasped. They knew that when Storm, that black daredevil Yoshi, was involved, it was more often than not something risky or dangerous.

"What's happened? Night, what's Storm doing?" asked Melon.

Night just shook his head and muttered, "I—I told him not to… I didn't think he'd actually do it, I…!"

"Night! What's happened to Storm?" Melon insisted.

Again, Night paused for breath before answering, "He's—he's gone to… the Bone Dragon Pit!"

This news shocked everyone. The Bone Dragon Pit, as everyone knew, was forbidden to every Yoshi that valued their life, sanity, and very being.

Yet Melon knew what had to be done. "We have to go after him!"

Most everyone else was surprised at this. But Sunny seconded, "He's right. We have to rescue Storm!"

"But we can't go in there!" exclaimed Pinky, a pink Yoshi. "It would be suicide!"

"Right," said Cloud, a white Yoshi. "Storm's as good as gone in there."

"And good riddance if you ask me," said a mean voice.

This line struck a nerve in the group. "Who said that?" asked Sunny indignantly.

"Who do you think?" said Melon dryly. Along with everyone else, he turned to stare at the newcomer.

This was, of course, Boshi, the mean brown Yoshi, the biggest bully on Yoshi's Island. His name was short for "bad Yoshi", a name he earned himself for his constantly negative attitude.

"What are you doing here?" asked Grape. "Come to stir up trouble?"

This made Boshi chuckle. "Looks to me like you have enough trouble already."

"We do seem to have a situation on our hands," retorted Sunny, "and we don't need you adding to it."

"Nevermind him," Sky pleaded. "What are we going to do about Storm?"

"I've already said what we're going to do," said Melon. "We're going to follow him and get him out of there!"

"And how do you plan on doing that, Melon?" Boshi countered. "That tunnel is riddled with pits and traps, not to mention it's the native home of Spikes, Nipper Plants, and the ever-popular Bone Dragons. Storm will never survive in there…and neither will you."

Orchid seconded, "I have to agree with Boshi on this one. I'm afraid Storm is a lost cause."

But Melon wouldn't have any of it. "_No__one__'__s_ a lost cause on my watch!" he shouted. "Now, we are going to save Storm, and we are going to do it together!" Melon then forced himself to calm down before continuing. "Don't you understand? We're a team. We have to look out for each other. It's all for one and one for all; out of many, one. And if we don't stick together, we're all lost."

Sky agreed, "He's right. We can't forsake even one member of our group. We must watch over one another. United we stand, divided we fall." He stepped up to Melon. "I'm with you."

Night, who had jumped out of the tree by now, spoke also. "I warned Storm not to go. I know as well as anyone that any Yoshi that goes in that cave doesn't stand a chance. But no one said anything about a group of Yoshis. Count me in too."

Grape chimed in, "You know I hate to be left alone. And I wouldn't leave any of you for almost anything."

Orchid finally relented, "You're going to need to keep your wits about you in that place. And I'm just the Yoshi to provide them."

One by one, each of the Yoshis pledged to join Melon.

Finally, one was left.

"Well, you have fun with that," said Boshi, and turned to leave. "I won't wait up for you."

"Oh, no you don't!" Melon retorted, stopping Boshi in his tracks. "You're coming with us."

A chorus of "WHAT?" came up from every Yoshi, including Boshi.

"No!" protested Night. "Out of the question! He can't come! It's unacceptable!"

"What did I just get through saying?" Melon admonished. "We're all in this together! And yes, that includes the killjoy," he added icily, indicating Boshi.

"What the heck do you want with me, Melon?" Boshi argued. "What use could you possibly have of me?"

"What use?" Melon laughed. "Come on, Boshi, even you know that! You're the strongest of all of us. I'm sure there will be a few times when we'll need your brute strength to get through some of the obstacles we'll encounter."

"Like I'd ever help you," Boshi growled.

"Dangit, Boshi, what's it going to take?" Melon actually screamed. "I feel like I'm losing two Yoshis here!"

"Give me one good reason why I should go with you, Melon!" challenged Boshi.

Melon just stared for a while. Finally, he said, "Because we need you. Look, Boshi, Sky said it best, I don't want to lose even one member. Each one of us has different abilities, and I believe that's what makes a truly great team. That's how we can overcome anything that comes our way." Then he smiled. "Besides, leaving aside the argument of whether you'd survive on your own, I also want to make sure you wouldn't make any trouble while we were gone."

Boshi didn't speak for a long time. Finally, he said, "Your persistence pesters me to no end."

Melon just waited.

Boshi continued, "I never did have any defense against it. You win, Melon. But after we rescue Storm, I'm outta here. Got that?"

Melon conceded, "So be it." He then turned to the others. "Alright, gang, we've got a long way ahead of us, so we'd better head out now. Come on! Move out!" With that, he started walking.

The others couldn't help looking at each other as they quietly followed. They knew, of course, that Melon was steadfast in his beliefs. Once he got a thought like this into his head, it was hard to change his mind. There were no two ways about it: everyone, including Boshi, was going along to rescue Storm from the dreaded Bone Dragon Pit.


	2. Touch Fuzzy, get dizzy

The Yoshis had hardly begun their journey when Night decided to talk with Melon again. "I still don't like this."

"I know you don't, Night," Melon answered. "But he is necessary."

"You think bringing Boshi along won't actually hinder us?"

"Why?" Melon questioned. "He's not exactly the enemy."

"He's not exactly a friend, either!" Night argued.

"It's not like he would purposefully sabotage us," mused Melon.

"How do you _know_ that?" pressed Night.

Melon just smiled. "I just know."

"He's right," Orchid agreed, joining in. "I had my reservations at first, but I see it now. We've banded together for a reason, and so we need to stay together."

"That's right," said Melon. He then raised his voice to the others. "And that goes double for this journey. Everyone stay tight!"

From further back, Pinky said, "Then there might be a problem."

The others turned, and they noticed Sky was behaving mighty strange. He had a glazed look in his eyes, and he was stumbling around.

Initially puzzled, Melon soon realized what was wrong. As he went toward his dizzy friend, the others following, he called to Pinky to help Sky.

Orchid asked Sky, "What in the world happened to you?"

Sky slurred, "I…touched…somethin'…fuzzy…"

"Crud! I knew it!" Melon exclaimed. "He touched a Fuzzy!"

Sky managed to slip free from Pinky and proceeded to stumble around some more. He wobbled this way and that before running straight ahead into a cluster of trees. Melon tried to shout a warning, but too late. Sky smacked right into a tree, causing him to fall flat on his back. Melon rushed to his side, concerned.

Sky mumbled, "I don't…feel so good…"

"You won't for a while," Melon told him. "No, don't get up. Don't even try to move."

"What now?"

"We can do nothing but wait," said Melon. "The dizziness will pass soon."

One of the Yoshis pointed out a whole group of the white fluffy balls floating in. Melon ordered the others to get as low as they could to avoid them.

"_Now_ what?"

"Another waiting game. Fuzzy groups are usually small. Hopefully we won't have to wait long."

Grape was getting a bit impatient. "Any way we can cut the wait time?" she wanted to know.

"You can always throw something at them," Pinky offered. "Fuzzies pop really easy."

With that advice, Grape picked up a nearby rock and chucked it at some of the Fuzzies. It worked! The ones hit dissipated. Grape continued throwing rocks, creating a path.

"Good going, Grape," Melon commended. "But we still have to wait for…"

At that moment, Sky began to stir. "…Sky? You okay?"

"I…I don't know…"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

Sky correctly identified 3 fingers. Happily, Melon helped Sky to stand back up.

"Well," Orchid commented, stepping up, "we'll try to avoid those things in the future, huh?"

"What were those things?" Sky wanted to know.

Orchid explained, "Fuzzies, of the class Dudim Phreykunoutonthis. If you touch one, the powder causes a small hallucinogenic effect, and you lose your equilibrium."

Melon translated, "Touch Fuzzy, get dizzy."

"Wow," Sky marveled. "Yeah, I'll have to watch out for those."

"No sweat," said Melon, patting his friend. "We got through it. And I'm sure we'll get through this whole thing, too, if we just put our minds to it. So come on! Still a ways to go yet!"

* * *

><p>As the Yoshis continued on, they reached a certain place that made them stop and stare. It was an enclosed orchard, with several types of fruit available, some of which were favorites of the group. Everything looked ripe for the picking, and the delicious scents pleased the Yoshis' noses.<p>

Reminded of their appetites, one Yoshi mentioned that this venture would take some energy, and Melon agreed that it would be a good idea to stop for a while and conserve their strength. The group happily began eating their fill.

Sunny was enjoying her banana when she noticed something. "Hey, has anyone seen Boshi?"

Grape answered, "I think I saw him wandering off that way. I think he just wants to be alone."

"Oh, that's right," said Orchid between bites of her apple. "Boshi doesn't like fruits."

"Hmph! His loss," Night muttered as he tossed some grapes in his mouth.

But Melon didn't like it one bit. He decided he'd have to do something about this.


	3. Needlenose nuisance

Refreshed by the respite, the Yoshis eventually continued on.

"Looks like we're coming out of the trees!" one commented.

"Only in the literal sense," reminded Melon. "We're just getting started on this journey."

"Just how far away is the Pit?"

"Well," Melon mused, "by a rough estimate, we should reach it by about mid-afternoon. In any case, we should—"

At that moment he was cut off by an object whizzing past. Thankfully, no one was hit by it. "What the heck?"

The Yoshis inspected the object. It was a yellow ball, about the size of any one of the Yoshis' noses, with sharp spikes all over its surface—a Needlenose.

"LOOK OUT!" Another one came rocketing towards them—they did their best to dodge it.

These Yoshis knew full well that a Needlenose did not travel in this manner without propulsion, and they soon found the source. A round, green, cactus-like being that was shooting Needlenoses out of its protruding lips: a Blow Hard.

Pinky took the initiative. She ran up to the Blow Hard, slurped up the next Needlenose with her tongue, then spat it back right into its face. The dazed Blow Hard fell to the ground.

"That'll teach you!" Pinky taunted.

"That only stuns it," said Orchid. "We need to get out of here before—"

Just then, she was struck by another Needlenose. Melon, concerned, rushed to her. She appeared to have sustained injury in her arm.

Everyone was now in a panic—Needlenoses filled the air. Somehow, they had stumbled into a veritable patch of Blow Hards. How would they get out of this?

Eventually, Night had enough. He shouted, "Everybody stand back!" and sprang high into the air. Knowing what he was about to do, the other Yoshis moved away to give him a wide berth and braced themselves.

At the apex of his leap, Night did a complete front flip, then came down to earth with all his force. The shockwave stunned all the Blow Hards in the area.

Pinky congratulated him, "You did it, Night!"

Melon was still worried about Orchid. "Are you all right?" He helped her to stand up.

"I'll be fine, Melon," she assured him. "I was hit in the arm, not the legs. Let's go, everyone!" she announced to the others. "They won't stay down for long! We need to hurry!"

* * *

><p>The group managed to escape into another cluster of trees, which housed another "rest stop" orchard. The Yoshis began rejuvenating themselves.<p>

Melon helped Orchid in finding a seat, once again asking if she was okay.

"I'll be alright," she restated. "These bruises will heal in time. I should take something for the pain, though," she added, wincing from a fresh ache.

She looked around, then noticed some small bell-shaped, light-colored flowers with large, hairy broad leaves. "Comfrey herbs!" She picked up a few and started rubbing them on her wounded arm. "This does wonders to mend injuries. Don't worry about me, Melon," she chuckled, noticing him still staring at her with some concern. "Once my arm heals, I'll be right as rain."

"You sure?"

Orchid nodded.

Melon finally smiled. "Good." He started walking away. "I have something else to take care of," he mentioned.

Orchid watched him go, wondering what he was talking about.


	4. NepEnut's domain

Eventually, Melon rejoined the others. Once everyone finished, he informed the others they would be heading farther into the forest for a while this time. As usual, he led the way.

After traveling some distance, they came upon a vast river—which had apparently escaped Melon's memory. Cursing his absentmindedness, he nevertheless reassured the group, saying, "I know there's a bridge across somewhere…"

"How far?"

"Pretty far, I'm afraid, but…"

Just then, the water directly in front of them began to churn, and up from the depths arose a colossal purple blob with a huge, fanged mouth and big, bushy eyebrows—a Nep-Enut! Understandably, this alarmed the Yoshis—except for one.

"Forget the bridge!" shouted Night, and pointed. "That's our ticket across."

Melon turned to him, asking, "What do you mean?"

But Night was already looking around, and he then spotted something—a large white tulip-shaped plant that was spitting out eggs. He rushed toward the Egg-Plant and caught the next egg that shot out; then he ran back and, after taking a while to aim, threw the egg straight at the Nep-Enut's open mouth.

Once struck, the Nep-Enut let out a snarl and sank back into the river, save for the top of its head.

After a quick self-celebration, Night announced to the others, "Come on! We've got to cross quickly!" With that, he darted across.

Realizing that this course of action was not altogether foolish, along with the fact that it would not be present for long, Melon also urged the others to cross. One after another, they hurried across as quickly as they could.

Upon reaching the other side, Melon wanted to make sure everyone had crossed safely. But after a headcount, they realized one was missing.

A yelp behind them confirmed this fear. Turning, they saw the Nep-Enut rising again—with a very frightened Cloud on top!

Thinking quickly, Sunny stepped forward. "Here! Jump, Cloud!" she proffered. "I'll catch you!"

Cloud was hesitant, but with continued encouragement, she finally decided to make the leap of faith. Thankfully, Sunny caught her with ease.

The roar from the Nep-Enut urged everyone to quickly make tracks.

* * *

><p>Once more the group found themselves in an orchard, and took another rest.<p>

Sky remarked, "This sure is convenient."

"Well, these orchards are hardly a rarity, Sky," Orchid told him. "Did you think all the fruits came from The Happiness Tree?"

Sky could only give a weak, embarrassed shrug in response, causing Orchid to chuckle.

Grape mentioned, "There goes Boshi," as he was once again stalking off.

Sunny acknowledged this, and then she noted, "Hey, Melon's gone too. Where is he?"

Orchid responded, "It's strange; I think he said he was going to give something to Boshi."

Night almost choked on his grape.

* * *

><p>Boshi just sat by himself, staring at the horizon. He tried to ignore the growling of his stomach, which was becoming increasingly harder to do.<p>

Suddenly, a package landed next to him. He stared at it in shock for a while, then proceeded to unfold the paper. He was amazed at the contents.

He glanced up to see Melon looking at him expectantly.

At length, Boshi ventured, "What is this?"

"Potato chips," answered Melon. "Thought you might enjoy some."

"Where did you find these?" asked Boshi.

"Oh, I didn't find them," Melon explained. "I made them."

Boshi was taken aback. "You made these? Yourself?"

"Yeah. I did purchase the potatoes elsewhere, but then I sliced them up and cooked the slices 'till they were crisp."

One more question remained to Boshi. "Why…did you do this?"

"I need everyone's strength up on this," Melon told him, "and since you don't eat fruit, this was the only other option. Now eat up," he added, smiling.

Boshi turned back to the chips, and decided to go for it. He popped one in his mouth, and found it was quite good.

"I don't suppose you could cook up some candy?" Boshi questioned as he continued eating.

Melon smiled. "I've set up the sugar water, and it's crystallizing now, but it'll be a while before it's ready. Just enjoy your chips for now." With that, he walked off and rejoined the group.

Boshi stared after him as he kept eating his chips. His face showed contempt, of course, but his true emotion was something quite different…

_To be continued..._

* * *

><p>Don't worry, Yoshi fans, this isn't all that I've written. In fact, I have the whole ending planned out. Unfortunately, there are still a few holes to fill in here and there. If you're really curious, though, I do have the highlights written up in a note on my Facebook profile. You can only view this if you're a "friend of a friend". 'Course, my contacts have quite the list, so try it if you're feeling lucky!<p>

(Note: Okay, for some reason, it won't let me even directly paste links here. (I wanted to link to the quiz I mentioned in the first part...) Don't fret; my profile has my Facebook page as my homepage. Try to check it out there.)

Also, if you're a beta reader, you can see what I have so far and maybe give a few pointers and inspiration. I'll be waiting!


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